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Vande Mataram and the 2026 Amendment: From voluntary honour to penal coercion

While the slogan Vande Mataram galvanised millions during India’s struggle for liberation from the clutches of colonial rule, this essay demonstrates that the 2026 Amendment –that the BJP has orchestrated--does not represent historical continuity, but rather a contemporary majoritarian redefinition of a complex national symbol.

A String of Departures from the ICC is ringing Alarm Bell

Three African states have pulled out of the ICC...

Was Sardar Patel Anti-Muslim?

Sardar Patel and Indian MuslimsOctober 31, 2016 is the...

Syama Prasad Mookerjee: How `selfless’ was this `patriot’?

The Nehru Memorial Museum and Library (NMML) had its...

Myanmar Ethnic Cleansing: Report claims final Stage of Genocide of Rohingya Muslims

While Myanmar prepares for internationally backed national election next...

Clash Between Two Notions of Purity: India’s Partition

Some Summations from India’s Partition StoryMy engagement with partition...

No, Bob Dylan isn’t the first lyricist to win the Nobel

There’s been a great deal of excitement over Bob...

What Ambedkar’s Anti-caste Struggle shared with the US Civil Rights Movement

 On this day 60 years ago, Dr BR Ambedkar,...

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‘Serious Grievances’: Bombay HC backs students’ concerns, MPSC protests continue in Pune

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Police detain Adivasi students for second day, force them out of Mumbai

Students who marched from Nashik are denied Azad Maidan protest, prevented from leaving Tilak Bhavan and forcefully transported out of the city

Scrap SIR, Restore Electoral Integrity: A national call to defend the right to vote

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Why Majoritarianism today is the single most acute threat to democracy

Majoritarianism that plagues India and many other democracies is the perversion of Dr. Ambedkar’s idea of democracy. While Dr. Ambedkar’s definition of democracy lays stress on effective and proportionate representation and safeguarding minority rights, majoritarianism is the dominance of a particular religious community, caste group, or racial group over the rest of the population.

From Nashik to Mumbai: Adivasi students’ protest meets police detentions

Weeks of agitation over tribal hostels and schools culminate in alleged detention of protesters ahead of planned Azad Maidan march

‘Free the Temple’, ‘Protect the Faith’, ‘Take Up Weapons’: How September’s festivals became stages for anti-Muslim hate

From contested places of worship to demographic fearmongering, a series of speeches used Hindu religious identity to construct Muslims as an existential threat and recast exclusion as religious defence

Karnataka: SIR Interrogated

A report, The SIR Investigation Report—A Narrative of Betrayal and Tears was released by the Anti-SIR Alliance and the Citizens’ Vote Protection Committee today; the report documents the (mal) implementation of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Karnataka

‘Solidarity Is Not a Crime’: Mumbai activists protest alleged police harassment over Palestine event

Indian People in Solidarity with Palestine members gather at Azad Maidan after police search activist Harshada’s home in connection with a kite-flying programme for Palestinian children